Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020)

My other thoughts on these super games

Super Mario Sunshine

Plot in Mario is bad. Like absolute gutter tier stories. But that's fine. Most games in the series aren't trying to have compelling stories. They are just excuses to see Jumpman jump. Criticizing the plot in a Mario game would be like criticizing Mahatma Gandhi for not being any good at basketball. Like he wasn't trying to be good at basketball, dude! He was doing that other thing!

BUT, Super Mario Sunshine feels the odd need to put its story upfront. A story about Mario wrongfully being imprisoned while on vacation, and then having to do community service to absolve himself. There is even a Delfino Plaza cop who says he is going to make sure you clean up the ugliness.* Not only does this make me dislike the residents of Delfino Plaza, it also makes Mario seem unheroic. Like he's only helping out because he has to? Also the game has cringe funny cut scenes where Mario is on trial followed by him being consoled by the water backpack he found on the ground. lol what? Also, I'm replaying through it now but the whole Bowser Jr/Peach mom thing? Yikes!

On the matter of the FLUDD backpack, I really like it! It shows us that we're in for something new. It offers new platforming opportunities, puzzle opportunities, and combat opportunities. There is real excitement and real advancement from FLUDD.

The FLUDD represents the two steps forward of the adage, while Mario's cut moves seem to represent the one step back. Mario is unable to crouch which limits his movement and other available moves. Mario's movement dictates the kind of puzzles that they put in this game. I know it isn't a direct sequel to 64, but it would be nice to see him keep his range of movement so we can see FLUDD variations of puzzles we saw in 64.

The last thing I want to mention now is Sunshine's placement of world over game. Delfino feels much more like an island than Peach's castle in 64 feels like a castle. However, Delfino isn't as fun to explore as Peach's castle. The island vibes ooze out of every space in the game, but it just isn't as interesting or wacky as Peach's castle. The big open spaces of Delfino sell the beachy environment, but it leaves little hidden. I can see the whole level from the start. There isn't much room for secrets. There also isn't space for surprises. With the exception of the theme park, open a level in Sunshine and it just feels like a big open vacation spot over and over again. There is no "Oh my gosh, this version of the painting I'm huge and in this one I'm tiny" or "I see, its speed changes depending on the clock" kind of surprise. Galaxy has a great balance of fun and place. Every level is space themed in the most surface level aesthetics, but they can go crazy otherwise. There are "Bee Space" levels and "Fire space" levels and even "Beach Space" levels. By keeping the space vibe secondary, they were able to maintain the wild Mario spirit Sunshine has obscured.

*#DefundTheDPD

More thoughts on this monster collection

Super Mario 64

I think it is much harder to go back to Super Mario 64 than it is to go back to Super Mario World. 2D platformers have only come so much further. If someone likes Ori, they most likely will also enjoy Super Mario World. 3D games, on the other hand, are miles away from where Super Mario 64 is. That isn't to say Super Mario 64 is bad- it is gosh darn excellent! But it is a weird game to go back to. You can control the camera (originally with the C buttons, now with the control stick), but only in increments. Mario has a wide range of options to platform (a timed triple jump, a wall jump, a dive, a long jump, a backwards somersault), but the character has a slushy response that lacks the control we're used to with modern Mario. And I will say I still basically find it charming, but so many areas just exist in a sky box.

I don't know if that little bit of charm comes across to first time players, but I do think the overall charm comes across. There is such tight level design that is largely lacking in modern games- even modern Mario games. Perhaps this design ethos was eschewed* because bigger often reads better to the unobservant, but maybe also because the tight simple level design can be exploited. In Cool, Cool Mountain, you can jump off the downhill track against the big penguin and cut far ahead. In Whomp's Fortress, you can backwards somersault to skip overcoming bottomless pits and Thwomps. Heck, In Bob-omb Battlefield, you can skip a large section by just running up a steephill. The thing is- all of these are PLEASURES NOT PROBLEMS. Remember all the times in Breath of the Wild when you used some insane creative way to solve a puzzle? You flipped you controller over to solve that one marble madness shrine or whatever? It felt great, and it still feels great to overcome puzzle after puzzle that way in Mario 64. Creative problem solving is fun. Speed running is fun. I'd take Whomp's Fortress over a big desert any day.

My last thought on SM64 (for now), the progression is great. You get in the castle and there is really only one place to go. Once you beat there, the game tells you you have enough stars to check out other areas, but specifically recommends Peach's observatory** where you will find a secret slide level. Now you know this game has secrets. Then you will check out the other room, you can go to with your available stars because the game has told you there were more rooms available. Now you've opened up two more rooms which you have been encouraged to explore. Not only do you get a fair amount of gameplay styles within these rooms, but you also get to check out areas that are wildly varying. The only thing that binds these levels is their verticality which is an exciting and new element to these 3D games. Even if you find the secret stars within this first area (of which based on my memory there are two more), you still must play one of these areas a second time before facing Bowser. This teaches you that replaying levels and receiving new missions is a core element to this game.

It is so well crafted that I found myself struggling to put it down. 24 years later and Mario 64 still floods my brain with dopamine.

*look at me with the fancy E words!

**I don't remember the exact name, I'm doing this from memory. The room with three stained glass princesses.

Man, I am so excited for Friday!

My boyfriend has never played any of these, so I'm psyched to have him try out Mario 64 (and the other two, but mostly 64 because that was such a huge part of my childhood).

I rented Sunshine once from Blockbuster as a kid (didn't get all that far) and have wanted to play it through for soooo long now.

I still have my copy of Galaxy (and M64 but I don't think my console works anymore) but never finished it, so I'm honestly just stoked about all three of these. Ahhhhh!

I've always been much more partial to the 3D games than any of the sidescrollers (just not my thing), so this is like my dream Mario bundle.